April 3rd is a noteworthy day for a few reasons. For one, it is the birthday of the woman who created the food-obsessed individual who is writing these words (love you, Mom).

But April 3rd is also remarkable because it is National Chocolate Mousse Day.

Yep, that’s a thing.

So I guuuuueeess we’ve gotta eat some!

With two cups of heavy cream, traditional chocolate mousse is obviously not something to indulge in on the regular. But what if we waved our wellness wand at the recipe and gave our mousse a makeover? Filled it with heart-healthy fats and ditched the refined sugar? How about if we made it dairy- and egg-free too for our food-sensitive friends? Then we all could eat it often.

Every day, even.

Maybe it won’t come as a surprise that avocado is the base for this rich rendition of the classic. Avocado is used in a lot of healthy desserts because it’s so creamy and its mild flavor goes virtually undetected. I’ve made this for clients whose minds were blown when I told them what they were eating. And the ultimate test: kids! My favorite “little” had just finished devouring a bowl when I told her what it was made out of.

“But I hate avocado,” she insisted.

“Not anymore,” I replied, tap dancing just a little.

Score one for the grown ups.

Vegan Chocolate Mousse (Dairy/Egg/Refined Sugar-Free)

Author: The Wellness Chef

Recipe type: DessertPrep time: 5 minsCook time: 5 mins

Serves: 4-6 servings

This luscious dessert is so rich, no one will ever guess it’s healthy. Serve small portions (1/3 to 1/2 cup) at room temperature for maximum fluffiness, and garnish with unsweetened, whipped coconut cream and fresh berries.

Ok so I know the title of this post contains the word “diet,” and that’s likely to send at least a few of you running for the hills. I, myself, have a tendency to rebel against things that are limiting, so I feel you, I really do. But if there’s one thing I would encourage every person I care about to do in this lifetime, it’s to try this Elimination Diet, even just once.

I could go on and on about its benefits, and at its most basic, the diet will cost you two weeks of your life. That’s a small commitment to exchange for feeling better than you ever have in your time on this earth, no?

Just in case you need a push, here are five reasons you should consider picking up Tom and Ali’s book The Elimination Diet and giving it a try today.

Hey guess what? It’s not normal to feel bloated and gassy after you eat. You may have gotten used to it, but there is nothing more liberating than discovering that you can eat a meal and feel nothing but amazing afterwards.

Or maybe your digestive tract feels like a well-oiled machine, but you deal with severely dry skin or eczema. I’m willing to bet you my firstborn that two weeks of following this eating plan will reduce that inflammation.

Think it’s way too farfetched of a notion that your diet can affect how moody or anxious you feel? Okay, that’s fair. But aren’t you willing to try just about anything to get those feelings to go away, if such things are possible? Wouldn’t that include eating whole, organic foods combined into some of the most delicious meal combos to ever alight upon your palate?

Thought so.

2) Food allergies have increased 50% from 1997 to 2011—said the CDC in a 2013 study.

And no, this doesn’t just mean that people whine more now. For one, more people are starting to realize that constantly being miserable after eating is not a normal state of being. More and more doctors are recognizing the legitimacy of food allergies—especially those with backgrounds in Eastern medical theory—and are suggesting an approach to health that embraces the philosophy that “what you put in, is what you get out.” This is totally different from the Band-Aid approach we’ve become accustomed to, where your doc scribbles out a scrip for yet another “magic pill,” in an attempt to cover up your symptoms.

We have learned that 60-75% of the world’s population doesn’t have enough lactase after the age of 4 to digest the lactose in milk, so that probably means you. And if this urges you to go get a “scratch test” and discover your allergies that way, just know that food sensitivities and intolerances (as opposed to full-blown allergies) are less well known, often undetected, and can’t be tested for. They usually create a subtler, simmering sort of distress that leads to chronic symptoms.

When you can’t process a type of food, you lack an enzyme, nutrient, or organism to properly digest or metabolize. Each time you eat this food, more of the undigested particles build up in your body, feeding harmful bacteria and yeast in your digestive tract. Your body views these particles as foreign invaders and attacks them, putting your system on alert and causing inflammation. If you are constantly inflamed, your body is poorly equipped to handle actual foreign invaders—things like seasonal allergies, colds, or even cancer.

3) Maybe you’re like my roommate and you have an iron stomach, are vital as a stallion, and claim you’d gain no benefit whatsoever from doing an Elimination Diet. Okay, fine. Do you crave cheese? Caffeine? Sugar? Would it be hard to give these things up completely because the cravings would be too intense? After two weeks on the E-Diet, you will have completely reset your system, and the bacteria in your gut that leads to cravings for the afore-mentioned foods will be completely wiped out.

Don’t suffer from food cravings? Then you, my friend, are far stronger than I. But do you drink? A little? A lot? If that’s the case, your liver could use a detox. Trust me, your liver sent me a letter begging for it, and it thanks you in advance for your consideration.

4) Calories (and fats) don’t count!

Say what? Every time I pour coconut milk into my coffee, my mom cringes. “It’s so full of fat!” she proclaims. And that’s completely accurate. But! Coconut is one of the most heart-healthy fats out there, and this diet embraces these types of fat in spades. Extra virgin olive oil, coconut butter, coconut milk and oil, avocados and nuts (once reintroduced) will become staples of your diet.

Mom is coming from the perspective of years of diet advice claiming that counting calories or fat grams is the best way to lose or maintain one’s weight. But the E-Diet embraces clean, whole foods that come from the earth, and is therefore low in additives, sweeteners, coloring and preservatives, so it follows that you can literally binge your face off on these things and worry not one iota about your waistline. In fact, this diet is almost assured to cause you to lose weight. I can’t imagine anyone following it strictly and not seeing similar results. Personally, I simply love that I can eat to the point where I am almost uncomfortably full and still wake up the next day looking slender and lean with absolutely zero tummy bloat.

5) You get to eat things like Butternut Squash and Sage “Stuffing,” Chickpea Curry with Potatoes and Kale, and Mustard-Herb Lamb Burgers. This isn’t just a bunch of rabbit food here people. No boring iceberg salads drizzled with lemon juice, yeuuck! In fact read my post here about how I ate like a food champ during my last E-Diet.

The recipe below, for example, had me at hello. After tasting these little nuggets of deliciousness, I vowed to never eat store-bought, highly-processed breakfast sausage ever again, especially since processed meats have now been linked to cancer.

Chicken-Apple Breakfast Sausages

Author: The Wellness Chef (adapted from the Elimination Diet)

Recipe type: BreakfastCuisine: American, Healthy

Prep time: 10 minsCook time: 20 mins

Serves: 8

Ingredients

1 medium tart apple, cored, peeled, and chopped

3 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 T fresh sage leaves

1 ½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ lbs organic skinless, boneless chicken thighs

Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil for cooking

Instructions

Place the apple, green onions, sage, salt and pepper in a food processor fitted with the “s” blade and pulse a few times. Then add the chicken and process until the chicken is ground and the mixture starts to form a ball, about 30 seconds.

With oiled hands, form the mixture into about 8 patties and set them on a plate. Heat a large skillet of medium-low heat and add 1 T oil. Place four of the patties in the pan and cook for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Repeat with the remaining patties.

These keep in the fridge for about 5 days or can be frozen and reheated in a 350-degree oven.

Now trust me when I tell you making these bad daddies–and just embracing the Elimination Diet in general–is inarguably doing something delicious! And just because I love you so much, I’m even including a link to an awesome guide to shopping for the right ingredients to support your E-Diet. You’re welcome!

I love ANYTHING that has that many words in parentheses and still tastes as good as this does. I’ve got some stubborn eaters in my extended family, and this stunning dessert satisfied them all. If I hadn’t already made it for her this season, I would shape the crust like a heart and serve it to mom for Mother’s Day brunch. Awww…

To prep the whipped coconut cream, pour coconut milk into a bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour.

To make the crust, stir together the almond flour, sea salt, baking soda and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl.

In another bowl, stir together the vanilla, oil, maple syrup and 1 T water. Add the oil mix to the flour and combine well.

Turn the dough onto a 9-inch pie plate or tart pan. Flatten the dough slightly with your fingers or a rubber spatula to spread it towards the edges of the pan, making sure to press it all the way up the sides of the pan. Try to make the dough a uniform thickness across the bottom and edges.

Place the tart on a sheet pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is an even golden brown. Don’t overbake!

While the crust is baking, make the glaze by heating the preserves and 2 T water to boiling in small sauce pan.

Strain through a sieve to remove lumps.

Remove the tart shell from the oven and let it cool completely to room temperature before brushing with glaze.

In the meantime, make the lemon curd. Heat agave nectar, arrowroot, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice In a small saucepan over medium heat.

Cook, whisking constantly, until thickened to a pudding consistency.

Whisk in coconut oil.

Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Curd will get very thick the longer it sits. Still tastes great spread on toast though!

Once crust is cool, use a pastry brush to lightly brush interior of tart shell with thinned preserves. Let “dry” for 15 minutes.

In the meantime, make whipped coconut cream. Drain off liquid (should look like thin coconut milk) and reserve for another use.

Whip cream with a mixer on high until thick and frothy.

Fold 1/2 c coconut cream into chilled lemon curd.

To remaining whipped cream, add 1 tsp vanilla bean paste and organic powdered sugar, to taste. I like mine not too sweet. Reserve to use as garnish.

Perhaps justifying our lust for chocolate is the reason scientists have spent so much time studying it. After all, we like to be told that dark chocolate improves blood flow, lowers bad cholesterols, and elevates mood while reducing stress. But it turns out there are more reasons why you should help yourself to some of the good stuff.

Throw Out Your Cough Drops

Seriously, I’ll take a creamy truffle over a menthol-flavored cough drop any day. And now it sounds as if you can. In a small British study conducted in 2005, participants were asked to inhale capsaicin, the stuff that gives chili peppers their sting. A variety of proposed remedies were tested, and the most effective one turned out to be hot chocolate. Researchers found that theobromine, a compound found in cacoa seeds that acts like caffeine in the human body, was more effective than codeine to stop coughing. So next time you’re under the weather, test this theory by taking two (squares of chocolate, that is) and calling the doc in the morning.

Leave the Sunscreen At Home

Just kidding. Although scientists in Germany discovered that ingesting the cocoa solids and flavonoids present in dark chocolate can defend our skin against the effects of UV rays, effectively staving off skin cancer. Not only that, but the study participants receiving cocoa every day noted smoother, moister skin with fewer rough patches. This caused researchers to speculate that there might be benefit to adding the ingredient to beauty products. So if you’ve ever eaten a death-by-chocolate dessert and thought, “I could absolutely bathe in this,” it sounds like maybe you should.

Add Chocolate to Your Diet Plan

Now the founders of Weight Watchers might not agree with us on this one, but research conducted by an associate professor of medicine at UC San Diego suggests that healthy adults who eat chocolate more frequently tend to have lower body mass indexes than those who snack on it less often. This result occurred despite the fact that those who ate chocolate more often did not eat fewer calories or exercise more than other participants. The theory is that the metabolic benefits of eating modest amounts of chocolate might lead to reduced fat deposits and potentially offset the added calories. Are you excited yet?

Develop X-Ray Vision

That would be cool, wouldn’t it? But chocolate won’t make that happen. What it will do, however, is improve your ability to read light-colored words on a light-colored background, called “visual contrast sensitivity.” Furthermore, it an improve your ability to detect moving dots on a moving background, known as “motion sensitivity.” Study participants ate both white and dark chocolate at separate times and then took similar vision tests. Relative to white chocolate, testing the dark resulted in higher performance in both categories, as well as improved spacial memory. Think about it like this: driving at night is low-contrast, and images are hard to distinguish from one another. Increasing your ability to make out those objects also increases your safety, so we think what we’re hearing here is that chocolate can save your life.

And Did You Know…

Sixty percent of women in a recent British poll ranked chocolate as the most smile-worthy experience, ranking higher than the sight of other smiling people and even loved ones!

Tips for Finding the Chocolate That’s Actually Good for You

Pick the chocolate containing the fewest ingredients possible.

Cocoa solids or cocoa mass should be first one listed.

Sugar should not be. Nor the second.

Choose one that’s both 72 percent cacao or above.

Buy organic, since chocolate is a heavily-sprayed crop. In fact, seek out fair-trade, and locally-sourced dark chocolate to get maximum health benefits.

Dutch processed cocoas have alkalized the chocolate, removing some of the beneficial flavonols. It’s fine for baking but not as good for sipping.

It sounds as if soy lecithin in chocolate is not so scary. Unless you’re allergic to soy, that is. We’ll talk about this more soon.

Oh, and FYI

Portion control is paramount to making a chocolate obsession work for you, so aim for half to one ounce per day, which is about a two-inch square of most chocolate bars.

Now aren’t you just dying to go do something delicious with chocolate?

I’ve noticed a lot of backlash recently towards people with gluten sensitivities and towards “bandwagoners” who appear to be adopting a gluten-free lifestyle, allegedly because it’s trendy. Because let’s face it, here in LA, food trends are kind of our jam.

A lot of this weird aggression comes from my food industry friends—chefs and servers alike—who get unbelievably up in arms due to situations like this: Person A is gluten-free and orders a gluten-free meal. But Person B, with whom Person A is dining, orders something that ISN’T gluten-free, and the two proceed to share.

Okay, I understand that cooking gluten-free isn’t exactly easy—I do it every day of my life. And I see how choosing to eat a meal that is half gluten-free and half NOT seems a bit pointless. But this notion that the only people who “deserve” to have food service workers accommodate them are the ones who nearly die when they eat gluten is ludicrous. For one thing, we have been accommodating special food requests for decades—just look at airlines offering vegetarian meals on flights, or scope out how many restaurants now make note of which of the menu items are vegan.

So someone who doesn’t die when they eat gluten—but is nonetheless trying to limit her consumption of it—is not a jerk. She is not necessarily just a blind sheep following some evangelical anti-gluten guru. She likely ordered her gluten-free meal because that’s the only thing she can control about her experience dining out. Until you eat Gfree, you have no idea the pressure people put on you to “just taste a bite,” or how much less fun it becomes to go out with friends when everyone is preoccupied that your weirdo food allergies may mean the group can’t go to the restaurant it prefers.

Taking a “cheat bite” or sharing the meal with a friend because its easier than making a big deal about it is just like a person on a diet taking a bite of her friend’s chocolate soufflé. It’s called being human. You don’t hate the gal on the diet for her moment of weakness, or slam her back in the kitchen to your work compadres for having the gall to order a low-calorie dinner and then sneak a bite of dessert. And if you do, then I hope you enjoy the view from that pristine glass house of yours.

Our gluten free gal, whom the rest of the world assumes just can’t think for herself and has succumbed to the hype, probably understands this. Human beings cannot properly digest gluten. That’s right. I can’t and you can’t. In fact, the only mammal that can digest it has four stomachs and chews its own cud. And get this: besides gluten, there are 23,000 different proteins in modern wheat that can produce inflammatory reactions in the body!

Now you personally might not have any symptoms whatsoever when you eat gluten. Good for you. I hope you’re eating a pizza while you read this. Or you may have some sort of health problem for which you take medication, but because the problem is not “digestive” in nature, you haven’t made the connection between it and your gluten consumption. Gluten has become known as the great masquerader; it can create over 300 symptoms and conditions you wouldn’t think to attribute to it—from skin issues, infertility and depression to headaches, liver disease and cancer.

I’ve also had people scoff at the idea that I diagnosed myself. That’s because people who self diagnose are usually called hypochondriacs. But because a perfect test for gluten sensitivity or celiac disease does not yet exist, an elimination diet is the one way that even people who test negatively for celiac, but still don’t feel good, can attempt to get to the root of their health problems.

An elimination diet isn’t easy, but it can be life changing. It takes discipline and it absolutely requires planning ahead. When caught off guard without a meal plan, falling off the wagon is nearly inevitable. But fortunately help is out there. If you’re in the LA area, you can make use of Wellness Chef Jennie’s weekly meal delivery services. I specialize in customized Elimination Diets of all durations and will provide prepared meals, recipe ideas and shopping lists to accommodate any client’s needs. I’ll also provide you with resources if you’re simply interested in learning more.

In the meantime, be kind to your gluten-free friends. Those of us with dietary restrictions certainly have an obligation not to be a**holes, running around expecting the world to bend to our needs, but if the person with whom you’re dealing isn’t acting like that, well then it really shouldn’t matter one iota whether her reasons for eating the way she does make sense to you.

In fact, I think we’d all get along better if we just went and did something delicious.

Whenever I commute on my bike I am bombarded with a cacophony of scents. They come on as invisible clouds, and many tell a story about what is happening in that particular spot in that exact moment in time. Sometimes however, the phrase “accosted by odors” seems more appropriate. Charcoal clouds of bus exhaust? One of the joys of living in LA. Marijuana smoke? Ahem. One of the joys of living in Venice. The attractive, if not slightly over-dressed woman stepping out for the evening, followed by a suffocating wave of perfume always gives me a laugh. Where is she going that she thinks men will enjoy literally drowningin her scent? I often smell the aromas of dinner cooking and imagine I can tell exactly what’s on the menu. Tonight I definitely smelled lasagna. If it wasn’t lasagna, then it was Chef Boyardee mini raviolis. Either way…

There’s never a dull moment in my study of smells and tonight’s ride was no exception. At one point, I got a whiff of the crisp scent of Lysol cleaner and it reminded me of how lovely a freshly cleaned space can smell (it’s a testament to my busy schedule that I haven’t smelled this my own home in quite some time). Freshly cut grass in front of Venice High School took me back to my childhood on Fletcher street and our acrobatic antics on the front yard. But by far my favorite was the Christmas Tree Farm on the corner, boasting freshly cut trees that did, indeed, smell brand new. That scent, combined with the one a half mile later of wood burning in a fire place, triggered that wondrous sense of nostalgia and plunged me right into the holiday spirit. It’s still warm here in the last week of November, but I’m dreaming of freezing nights with perfect stars, and boozy eggnog in front of a roaring fire.

In a blog dedicated to all things delicious, I would be remiss, dear reader, if I neglected to mention Bay Cities Deli in Santa Monica. I’ve globe trotted enough to consider myself somewhat of a sandwich connoisseur, and I believe a concoction from this crowded local gem can be considered the Grandaddy of them all.

How else could a sandwich so easily command the title of Godmother? This heavenly combination of genoa salami, mortadella, coppacola, ham, prosciutto, provolone with “the works”—spicy peppers, a must—stars in the dreams foodies dream at night. Perhaps it’s the freshest, flakiest sandwich rolls to ever grace the taste buds. Or slices of the finest quality meats and cheeses imported from the great country of Italy itself, rather than simply imitated. After all, Americans tasted mortadella and created bologna (and even butchered—no pun intended—the pronunciation). Boyfriend almost always gets the meatball sub, with luscious and gigantic beef and veal rounds that he can really sink his teeth into. The sauce is thick and authentic, delightfully tangy, not sweet.

I recommend going for a late lunch to avoid the crowds and the accompanying traffic jam in the miniscule adjacent parking lot. Better yet, go when you have time to spare. Only by lingering can you truly appreciate the differences between the 26 types of olive oil on offer, or find the perfect combination of flavors in the many handcrafted pestos. Another great option is to grab picnic fixings like mixed olive salad and imported burrata, and on Thursday evenings in summer head to a free concert at the Santa Monica Pier.

I’d like to state for the record: This [p2p type=”slug” value=”challenge-2013-elimination-diet-food-allergen-cleanse” anchor=”https://thedeliciousthings.com/challenge-2013-elimination-diet-food-allergen-cleanse/”]Elimination Diet[/p2p] has been the best thing I’ve done for myself in the past five years of my life. And as much as I’d like to wax poetic about the program’s many virtues, that’s a different post for a different day. I am here today however, to debunk the idea that my eating life is so deprived now. Have a looksy . . .

The penthouse* has been without gas for the last two weeks (in part due to my disorganization while we were moving, but in part also to the fact that Southern California Edison is as efficient and devoted to excellence in customer service as the DMV).

So what’s a cooking instructor on a highly limited diet and no access to a microwave to do? Get creative? Certainly. Pull out all those rarely used appliances tucked away into dark corners? You betcha. You’d be amazed what can be accomplished with a blender, a juicer, a crockpot, and a food processor.

And what can you make with those things? Sauce. And sauce makes this elimination dieter a happy girl. In fact, I read a post recently on The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen where a reader had stated, “Just give me sauces and I can eat anything.” Kindred spirits, we are.

So using Tom and Ali’s garlicky green sauce, I created this Asian influenced salad that can be eaten as early as Phase Two of the Elimination Diet, but is even better once citrus, nightshades, and chicken are reintroduced. The disclaimer is that nothing is trying to be chicken in the Phase Two friendly variation–it’s just that few descriptions have the same name recognition as “Chinese Chicken Salad.” Chinese Salad? Asian Salad? Chickenless Asian Salad? You get the picture.

This concoction tastes a lot like peanut sauce, and it is AMAZEballs. I didn’t want to spend $15 at Whole Foods on a jar of pumpkin seed butter, so the first time I made it, I used sunflower butter and it was delicious. This go around I used homemade (thus, cheaper) pumpkin seed butter, and added lime for balance, crushed red pepper for spice, and enough water to make it the consistency of salad dressing. Feel free to omit the citrus and the red pepper if you’re still in Phase Two.

Build your salad with your favorite combination of the following ingredients:

Other options, once you’ve graduated from Phase Two to Reintroduction:

Julienned red, orange, and yellow pepper
Organic chicken, cut into strips–I used Fiance’s delish go-to marinade of Sriracha (here’s a homemade, paleo version http://nomnompaleo.com/post/36060636540/paleo-sriracha-homemade-20-minute-sriracha), sesame oil, and soy sauce. Use wheat free tamari if you’re eliminating gluten.
Orange, supremed–I toyed with using peeled and separated tangerines, but I think the seeds would be annoying.
Organic water chestnuts—I would love to buy these fresh, but apparently that would require a quick jaunt to an Asian food market. In Asia.
Organic baby corn–see note about water chestnuts.

Take a look at both versions. No deprivation here.

So crunchy and flavorfulThen once you add in citrus, nightshades, and chickenAdaptable for any Phase and so good you’ll be eating it well after the diet’s over

And just so’s I’m not alienating the non-Eliminators out there, I’ve got more killer sauce recipes coming soon: high on flavor, low on refined sugars and other yucky additives, as well as a comprehensive guide of refined sugar alternatives due out in the next few weeks. So stay tuned.

Funny thing is, it was totally inadvertent. I knew I’d be doing a wine post–Carhartt’s 2010 FourPlay, to be precise–and Fiancé and I were brainstorming what would make the perfect meal to go with it. And yes, at times, we prefer to build our menu around the wine instead of the other way around. What’s wrong with that?

FourPlay is a flavorful red blend from one of our very favorite wineries in Los Olivos. The 2010 vintage produced only 350 cases of the sweet, sweet nectar and Fiancé and I have been saving this bottle for a special occasion–something like, hey it’s Thursday, and we’re on our way to pick up more Carhartt wine this weekend, so let’s drink up. You know, that kind of occasion.

FourPlay is 35% cabernet sauvignon, 31% merlot, 24% cab franc, and 10% petite verdot. Four players working in balanced juxtaposition to get our juices flowing, and ready for the main event–in this case, a steaming plate of gluten-free fettuccine with Fiance’s crockpot marinara and huge, flavorful meatballs made of bison. Seeing as how the wine is described as a perfect partner to savory meats, hearty pastas, and aged cheeses, we figured this menu was a bull’s eye, and it gave me an excuse to buy some fancy cheeses to indulge in beforehand (for the first time since the [p2p type=”slug” value=”challenge-2013-elimination-diet-food-allergen-cleanse” anchor=”https://thedeliciousthings.com/challenge-2013-elimination-diet-food-allergen-cleanse/”]Elimination Diet[/p2p] began–woot!).

I took one sip of this wine and told Fiancé that I want every glass of wine I ever drink to feel this way in my mouth. Holy velveteen, I’m in love. The blend has brilliant clarity, and a cherry red hue with rich intensity, belying its cabernet sauvignon component. It’s also fairly leggy, which makes me think of a great line from my favorite sommelier (and mentor–lucky me) Caitlin Stansbury, about how merlot, which she affectionately dubs the Sex Bomb, “shows more leg than Angelina Jolie.”

Stick your nose in the glass, and you’ll find a medium intensity aroma of ripe red fruits–cherries and cranberries, the very same that you taste when you take a sip. I also detected a hint of baking spices, and Fiancé noted a little smoke. What a delightful surprise on this celebratory Thursday, to find that I actually am a fan of merlot, which it turns out is the likely reason this wine feels so damned good to drink!

If you’re curious about how to zero in on your favorite qualities when wine tasting, and yearn to bring out your inner wine-know, you should check out Caitlin’s book, Wineocology. Watch out, this sassy sommelier has a mouth on her, which is why I could read this book and drink wine all the live-long day.

I hope you’re heading into the weekend with plans to do something delicious!

Ohmygosh! I’m so excited to have been nominated for a Liebster Award by Rood On Food. Many thanks to Raj–be sure to check out his delicious vegan and gluten free recipes and reviews.

I love awards! Who doesn’t? This one comes with some rules though. And I’m not very good at following rules. So this is my attempt at paying the love forward, even if it involves some artistic license.

The “rules:” (Yep, we’ll put those in quotes)Post 11 random facts about yourself.
Answer the 11 questions made by the person who nominated you.
Create 11 questions for the bloggers you pass the award to. (These are supposed to be bloggers with less than 200 followers, although some sources say less than 3000. How about adding to this list blogs-that-you-think-have-less-than-either-of-those-numbers-of-followers-but-you-can’t-be-sure-because-they-don’t-list-it-anywhere-on-their-blog? I like this minor change to the rule).
Choose 11 bloggers to pass the award to and mention them in your post. (Some sources say 5, which I opted for since I have to go teach a cooking class tonight).
Go to their blogs and let them know that they have been nominated.

So here goes:

11 Random Facts About Me

1) I majored in costume design; my most extravagant design yet was a chandelier for which I won $350.
2) I lived in Italy for three months, eating my way through the country and learning how to live pretty much the opposite of the way we live here. And it was grand.
3) I don’t believe in cellphones at the dinner table.
4) I’ve always known I wasn’t having any kids, but I had no idea that my 8-year-old stepdaughter (to be) would make me fall in love with her.
5) I order my food “spicy like you hate me” and usually, its still not spicy enough.
6) I make my own cheese.
7) As a recovering bartender, people ask me all the time about the best place to get a really unusual and delicious cocktail. My response is always the same—my house. Sorry, but why pay $15 for something I can do for $3?
8) I got Keanu Reeves so drunk on Pinot Noir that he waltzed through the restaurant with a coworker.
9) I once broke into a hotel in St. Martin because it was Carnival and the proprietor had forgotten my arrival and taken to the streets to party. I also broke into my convent in Rome because I didn’t want to wake the nuns.
10) I’m originally from Redlands, which is home to the best oranges you’ll ever eat.
11) My cat has no nerve endings in her tail, which makes her a pretty awesome party trick. Don’t worry, no animals were harmed in the testing of this theory.

Questions From RoodonFood for TheDeliciousThings:

1) What is your absolute favorite meal?
Anything with Mexican flavors. We made some blackened fish tacos the other night with two homemade salsas and fresh guac and I’ve been dreaming about them ever since.

2) What is your favorite spice?
Cardamom—it reminds me of spicy lavender, and it goes aMAZingly well with chocolate.

3) What place would you most like to visit?
New Orleans—a Halloween trip chalk full of Cajun food and haunted hotels is next up on the agenda.

4) What do you do to relax?
I’m not sure what that word means.

5) Where do you live and what is the coolest place there?
I live in Mar Vista (Los Angeles) and the coolest place here is the neighboring city of Venice with its bohemian vibe and eccentric “performers.” Nothing beats a day of people watching on the boardwalk and it’s even better when all the artists come say hello because you used to sling them drinks in a past life.

6) What was your proudest moment?
Beating out the other competitors to score the sole copywriting position at a Fortune 500 company.

7) What is your dream job?
Getting to spend every day devoted to writing my horror novel.

8) What are your favorite TV Shows and movies?
I’ve really enjoyed American Horror Story and think Breaking Bad is the most brilliant show ever written. Favorite movies include Big Fish, American Beauty, and most recently, the Best Little Marigold Hotel.

9) What is your favorite book or author?
Stephen King—people tell me time and again that NO ONE finds writing success the way SK did. That it was the stars aligning and it won’t happen that way for any author for the rest of time. People also tell me that you can’t make a living as a writer. SK is not only amazing to read, he’s a reminder that dreams do come true.

10) What is the best recipe on your site?
One that I haven’t put up yet. I’m reworking The End of the World Cake to make it gluten and refined sugar-free, since it was originally posted before I knew gluten was the enemy. So stay tuned. In the meantime, it’s still unbelievable, and you can read about it here.

11) What super power would you most want and why?
Flight. Then I could stop just dreaming about it and take to the skies for real.

1. Spice: 2 thumbs up? 1 up 1 down? What say you?
2. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve eaten recently (or ever)?
3. Favorite beverage?
4. What’s the best thing to do in the summertime where you live?
5. What’s your favorite place to visit?
6. Where have you never been but are simply dying to go?
7. What’s #1 on your bucket list at the moment?
8. What did you want to be when you grew up?
9. And what are you now?
10. Give us an odd fact about you that tells a lot about your personality. For example, I keep a wine opener in my glove compartment, all my purses and backpacks, and the saddlebags for my bike.
11. What’s the one food you simply cannot live without?

I look forward to your responses. In the meantime, I hope you’re doing something delicious!